Factional conflicts in China’s provinces from 1966 to 1968 have long been identified as a split between "conservative" and "radical" groups, with the former more supportive of the status quo and the latter more supportive of fundamental change. Accounts of the Guangzhou case consistently identify the Red Flag faction of 1967 as "radical" and the East Wind faction as "conservative." A closer look at this rivalry with the more abundant sources available today suggests a very different interpretation. The split between the Red Flag and the East Wind was between former allies who were united in the movement against the provincial authorities in 1966. Their split originated in tactical disagreements and evolved into an intense rivalry over a power seizure that excluded one wing of the rebel movement. This generated a competitive rivalry within the ranks of the rebels, expressed as different attitudes toward the military forces ordered by Beijing to "support the left," which in turn led them into different alliances with forces in Beijing. The famous Guangzhou factions were not interest groups with different orientations toward the status quo ante, but rival rebels who became entangled in factional divisions in Beijing, raising the stakes of their rivalry and intensifying the conflict.